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George Baldwin said he never saw the truck that smashed into his car at the bottom of a steep
hill in Coshocton’s Roscoe Village last month.

A Ford Explorer, driven by Charles Miller, hit the Baldwins’ Toyota Prius as Mary Baldwin, 68,
was about to get into the passenger side. The collision knocked her backward into an iron gate,
killing her instantly and seriously injuring her husband.

“I only remember bits and pieces from the time we left to go there to the time I woke up in the
hospital,” said Baldwin, 72, of Grinnell Drive in Columbus. “I was out of my head most of the
time.

“But I’m recovering, slow but sure.”

The fatal wreck on Sept. 17 has prompted the city, located about 75 miles northeast of Columbus,
to take precautions in hopes of preventing another like it.

Today, signs on Hill Street, Hydraulic Avenue and High Street, all of which are steeply graded
leading downhill into Roscoe Village, urge drivers to take caution as they approach the popular
tourist spot that re-creates 19th century life along the Ohio & Erie Canal.

“We asked for, and received, a lot of input from residents and shop owners,” said Coshocton
Mayor Steve Mercer. “The steps are in direct response to last month’s accident. We can’t prevent
someone’s brakes from failing, but we can raise awareness and encourage caution.”

The brakes on Miller’s truck failed, and it barreled down Hill Street at up to 60 mph before he
crashed into the Baldwins’ vehicle parked along Whitewoman Street at the bottom of the hill,
authorities said.

Miller, 28, was indicted on five counts, including vehicular homicide and driving under
suspension. He has not had a valid driver’s license since 2010.

“The city administration wants to be respectful and this was a response to them asking, ‘What
can we do?’” said Jim Ruby, Coshocton’s director of public works.

The signs, which include one with flashing red lights near the top of Hill Street, will caution
drivers that there’s a steep grade ahead, suggesting a 15 mph speed limit and asking them to check
their brakes.

“The signs will allow drivers, as much as possible, to think a little more calmly, while there’s
still time, that they need to slow down a little bit,” Ruby said.

The signs are only a first step, , the one that could be accomplished the quickest, he said.

Other future steps being considered include the installation of rumble strips on the steep roads
and reducing the speed limit from 25 mph to 15 mph permanently, and perhaps installing barricades
or impact stations, such as those used on runaway truck ramps built on steeply graded highways.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Baldwin said. “It’s a good response to a tragedy.”